South Korea Women vs Kazakhstan Women: match preview on 20 September 2026

South Korea Women are the clear favourites to beat Kazakhstan Women on 20 September 2026. The visitors have lost all four previous meetings between these sides, including a 35:17 defeat in the World Championship on 1 December 2025. South Korea also won their Asian Games opening match 48:16 against Hong Kong, while Kazakhstan lost theirs 24:34 to China.

Kazakhstan have shown flashes of quality in their recent run. They beat Hong Kong 48:16 in their Asian Games opener. But they have also lost three of their last five matches, including defeats to Czech Republic 28:32, Sweden 27:32 and Brazil 25:32. Their goal tally of 163 scored and 129 conceded in five games shows they can score freely but also leak goals.

Kazakhstan have found life harder. One win and four losses in their last five matches has left them with just three points. Their sole victory came 24:19 against Iran in the World Championship, but they have since lost to China twice, Egypt 18:30 and Cuba 28:29. They scored 124 goals and conceded 144 in that span.

South Korea lead 4-0.

South Korea sit on a high after their 48:16 victory. Kazakhstan face pressure after their opening defeat. The hosts will want to build on their winning start, while the visitors need to recover from a heavy loss.

The most likely scoreline sits around 30:20, though the range could stretch wider given both teams' scoring patterns. Expected goals suggest South Korea will find the net more consistently. Kazakhstan have struggled to keep clean sheets against Asian opposition. A draw suits the visitors — and given how they tend to run the clock down in tight matches, that is the main threat to the prediction.

A 10:10 or 12:12 halftime score would change the dynamic completely. An early injury to a key forward would force South Korea to rely on their bench.

Kazakhstan’s low block will test South Korea’s width, but the visitors’ depth should see it out.